This weekend is a bit of déjà vu for Kayli Sartori and the University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team.
Coming off a tough road trip against a team that blew them out in the preseason (the Calgary Dinos), they head eastward once again to face another imposing foe in the Alberta Pandas.
The Cascades navigated last weekend’s challenge successfully, earning a split with the Dinos.
Up next is a Pandas squad which won its first 11 conference games of the season but has dropped two of its last three.
Games are Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m.
UFV and Alberta clashed on Oct. 6 at the Regina Cougars preseason tournament, with the Pandas prevailing 76-56. But the Cascades have come a long way since then – they’re currently third in the conference in RPI, which determines playoff seeding.
“It was great to get a come-from-behind win in a tough place to play last week in Calgary, and that task doesn’t get any easier this week,” Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer noted. “Alberta has some really talented veteran players, and they’re always a team that takes great shots and are difficult to defend. Our defence will really be challenged by this squad.”
Players to watch: Cascades third-year guard Sydney Williams is coming off a sensational shooting performance in last Friday’s 69-60 win over Calgary. The Langley product knocked down seven three-pointers, accounting for all of her game-high 21 points, and she’s averaging an even 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds this season.
For the Pandas, fifth-year guard Maddie Rogers has led the way offensively with 15.6 points and a conference-best 4.2 assists per game.